PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Sophomore helps elder Falcons advance

No. 2 Torrey Pines to host San Diego in quarterfinals

CARMEL VALLEY -- Nick Kerr is only a sophomore, and played just
one varsity game last year for Torrey Pines High's boys basketball
team, so he doesn't know the anguish the Falcons have felt the last
two years getting knocked out of the CIF San Diego Section Division
I playoffs in the semifinals.

He's heard plenty about those disappointments from his older
teammates, though, and it appears that through absorbing those
accounts, he has accepted a responsibility to not let the Falcons'
seniors graduate without getting deeper into the postseason.

"Both those losses motivated us," Kerr said. "We want it more
now. Our seniors have lost two semifinal games, and they don't want
to lose a third, so we're going to play a lot harder."

Kerr's 15 points led second-seeded Torrey Pines in its 77-53
first-round victory Wednesday night over Rancho Buena Vista, but he
was hardly the star of the show. Kerr was just one of five Falcons
players to score in double figures, as Torrey Pines (24-4)
displayed a balanced offense and put in a stout defensive effort in
a relatively one-sided game that the Avocado League co-champions
hope served as an appetizer for bigger things to come.

Torrey Pines advances to host San Diego, a 58-56 first-round
winner over Eastlake, in a quarterfinals matchup Saturday.

The Falcons' best weapon Wednesday, as it has been all season,
was the 3-pointer. They made 11, and got them from five different
players. They also penetrated the post effectively, and beat Rancho
Buena Vista's zone defense by slashing to the basket and kicking
the ball out to the wing for 3s.

Spencer Kleis and Joe Rahon each scored 13 points, Trevor
Newquist had 12, and Max Heller added 10. While Kerr was the
biggest threat from the 3-point line, making four, Klein drained
three shots from behind the arc.

"I thought we played very well," Torrey Pines coach John Olive
said.

"We're one of the leading 3-point-shooting teams in the county,
and we can definitely shoot the ball. We're not going to take bad
3s, but if we get good rhythm 3s, we're going to take them."

Rancho Buena Vista (11-16), meanwhile, struggled for most of the
game to create open shots in its half-court offense. The Longhorns'
best offensive tactic was to run and create opportunities off
turnovers, but even that proved ineffective, as Torrey Pines held
them without a field goal for more than three minutes to start both
halves.

"We were happy to be in the playoffs, but our heart had been
somewhat excised because of our league play," RBV coach Terry
Miller said, referring to the Palomar League, which had all of its
five teams make the 16-team Division I bracket, including three of
the top four seeds. "It's just hard to gain confidence, and
confidence is a fragile thing."